Mary Allen
Veiled chameleons are hardy, striking-looking lizards with tall casques (helmet-like structures) on the tops of their heads. The casque is present in both males and females and aids in steering water that falls onto their heads into their mouths. Veiled chameleons have bodies that are banded in shades of green, yellow, and brown which adjust to varying shades.
Veiled Chameleon Attitude
Key data:
- belongs to the growing species
- Males about 40 cm
- Females about 30 cm
- desert dweller
- Life expectancy: 7 years
- Solitary, strictly solitary
Terrarium Equipment:
Climbing opportunities, 3-sided privacy screen, many hiding places, planting possible. Watch out for ficus plants: poisonous!
Temperatures: 25-30°C locally up to 40°C
At night: 10-15°C
Humidity 60-90% Important! Control with thermometer and hygrometer
Lighting: important! Places with UV light (UV rays do not pass through glass)
recommended lamps are: Zoo Med Powersun/ Lucky Reptile 160 W/100 W (animal distance 60 cm)
Advantage: Heat and UV lamp in one (all daylighting)
Fluorescent tubes e.g. Repti Glo 2.0/5.0/8.0 (animal distance 30 cm)
Disadvantage: no more UV light after 6 months
Osram Ultravitalux 300 W (animal distance 1m)
Lighting time 15 min a day
Important! UVA and UVB light must be covered for all UV lamps.
Substrate: absorbent substrate, e.g. sand-soil mixture
Terrarium size: 100 cm length, 62.5 cm depth, 100 cm height
Feeding:
Young animals daily/ adult animals 2 x weekly
- Insects: crickets, house crickets, small grasshoppers, etc.
- Plant-based foods: dandelion leaves, cucumber slices, etc.
- Pollinate food animals with vitamins, e.g. Korvimin
Feed the animal by hand with the tweezers or put the food animals freely into the terrarium.
- Water supply: Important! Chameleons don’t drink from bowls!
- spraying of the animals
- drip drinkers
- waterfalls